Football Athlete of the Year
Trevor Lawrence, Cartersville
Achievements: Lawrence led Cartersville to state championships in 2015 and 2016. A starter since he was a freshman, Lawrence has thrown for 10,601 yards in his career. If he matches his junior totals (3,904 yards, 51 touchdowns) as a senior, he easily will break the Georgia career records of 13,077 yards and 159 touchdowns held by Deshaun Watson. Lawrence is the consensus No. 1 recruit nationally among juniors.
Position: Quarterback
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 197 pounds
Class: Junior
College choice: Committed to Clemson
Why: Clemson is a different place, from the quality of the football program to the academic adviser. I love everything about Clemson. Every time I went to visit, it felt like home, and the coaches give off a genuine vibe.
Best high school moment: Best moment for me was in 2015 when we won the state championship against Buford. I was a sophomore at the time, and being able to win it with the group of seniors we had was really special.
Why football: Football became the sport for me, one, because I was naturally gifted at it and, two, because I love playing with a team. When everyone has to work together, it doesn't matter if you just do your job. You have to get everyone else doing theirs.
What you'd like to be doing in 10 years: In 10 years, I'd like to be playing in the NFL, and after that maybe start a non-profit organization to help kids right here in the U.S. that come from rough backgrounds or help families in Third World countries.
Favorite high school course: Either math or forensics. Math because I understand numbers well and like solving the problems. Forensics interests me because of all the details and tiny things that help catch criminals and figure out other details.
People who helped along the way: I don't have enough room on the paper to answer this one. I have been blessed with some of the best people being placed in my life and with whom I get to be with on a daily basis. The most influential people in my life are my parents, uncles, all of my coaches, but specifically Joey King (head coach) and Michael Bail (quarterbacks coach).
Toughest high school opponent: Buford in my freshman year. They had around 15 D-I prospects and one of the best coaching staffs in the state, and I sat back there at about 6-4, 170, and got tore up the whole game. However, I learned more from this game than any other game I've played.
Favorite movie: My favorite move is "The Karate Kid," the old original one. I have always grown up watching it, and something about it just stuck, and I've loved it ever since.
Favorite song: Don't really have a favorite song.
Worst high school moment: Worst high school moment is going back to freshman year when we played Buford in the state semifinals and lost on our home field. It sucked because a lot of the game was on me, and I wanted to win the game bad for our seniors. Not to mention I got blindsided by one of their big linebackers, which is the hardest hit I've taken in high school.
If you could be any other athlete on earth: Probably LeBron James because I've always loved basketball, and it would be fun to be that much better than everyone at the sport.
Money or happiness? Happiness. You can have as much money as you want, but if you're not happy, it does not matter.
Best word to describe yourself: Chill.
View of the world at this moment: Not very good. Everyone is getting away from their core values. People think they can do or say whatever they want and that it's OK.
What you would put in a time capsule: A cellphone, TV, some old toys from my childhood, shoes from our generation, some movies, a Bible and pictures.
About the Author
